LE Group Industries in the media

Ad at Gulf Food Magazine in Dubai September and November edition 2014. – Visit us at the Specialty Food Festival in Dubai November 9-11, 2014 at the WTC

In this section of our website, you will find articles found in the media about LE Group Industries, LLC and also about our team in different magazines, newspapers, and blogs from different countries around the world.

Our company founder at the age of 28 during some product shipment from Brazil to the Furniture Market in High Point and the Billiard Congress of America in Las Vegas 2004

The following article was published on Brickell Magazine in Miami, Florida, USA:

REGIONAL APPETITE FOR SPECIALITY, GOURMET AND FINE FOODS, DRIVES BRISK BUSINESS FOR INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES

SEAFEX, The Speciality Food Festival and Sweets & Snacks Middle East Report Resounding Success for Local, Regional and International Suppliers

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

SEAFEX, The Speciality Food Festival and Sweets & Snacks Middle East, the region’s only dedicated platforms for the seafood, gourmet and fine food ingredients, confectionery and snacks sectors, drew to a close last month with strong sales and substantial business reported by participating exhibitors.

The influential niche food trade shows, which took place from 17 – 19 November at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), attracted more than 400 specialist food & beverage companies and 12,285 visitors from every corner of the globe, looking to tap into the lucrative opportunity that the GCC food services industry represents.

“The sales and business leads generated at the shows highlight the significant roles they play in facilitating trade in these fast-growing markets. From family teahouses to global manufacturers of chocolate, we have received positive exhibitor feedback on the quality of visitors and the shows’ success in attracting a highly-targeted, niche market,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, DWTC.

The fourth edition of The Speciality Food Festival, the Middle East’s only dedicated gourmet and fine food trade exhibition, highlighted its success at reaching its target audience, with millions of dollars worth of business conducted during the show.

First time exhibitor, LE Group Industries LLC, a premium distributor of American long grain rice that is produced and packaged in different parts of the world, benefited from the show’s reach and contacts with key decision makers in the Middle East and Africa.

LE Gorup Industries at The Specialty Food Show in Dubai 2013

Agustin Caceres, VP Operations at LE Group Industries LLC, said: “During the show we have met with key customers from different countries, such as Georgia, Iran, Afghanistan and Nigeria, which are all key markets for us that we have struggled to reach in the past. With approximately US$1 million of gross sales conducted during the show and more than US$5 million potentiality of forecast to complete in the coming year, we will definitely be back in 2014.”

Following last year’s highly-successful inaugural edition, SEAFEX, the region’s most influential seafood industry trade show, was particularly well received in a region where fish often tops the menu. The show saw a 38% increase in exhibitor space with representative companies from a total of 28 participating countries, including Argentina, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Seychelles, Peru, Vietnam and Yemen.

The significance of SEAFEX for participating countries was reflected in visits to the show of a number of high-ranking government, ministerial and trade delegations. These included the Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster, who reflected on SEAFEX’s potential for North Irish suppliers following a visit to her national pavilion: “Northern Ireland’s food and drink industry is one of our most successful manufacturing sectors and one which has a long standing commitment to exporting. The global focus and trading experience of Northern Ireland companies means that buyers can count on them to supply quality products on time, every time and at competitive prices that ensure value for money.

SEAFEX was an exciting opportunity for our local companies to make face-to-face contact with buyers and decision makers from the grocery, wholesale and speciality retail sectors. I am confident that our participation in SEAFEX will allow us to make the contacts we need to successfully bring new seafood brands and products in to GCC markets.”

Agustin Caceres shipping rice

Representatives from Walter Ewing’s Finest Smoked Salmon, one of the premium Northern Ireland producers of salmon and shell fish, were ‘thrilled’ with trade response to their products. “As a producer of premium organic salmon and shellfish, our market is very niche,” said Crawford Ewing, the company’s Co-founder. “SEAFEX has been an ideal platform for us to reach an important target market and we are thrilled with the quality of visitors to our stand. We leave the show with a number of very promising leads.”

First time exhibitor at SEAFEX, Eurabia, chose the show as a platform to launch its range of speciality fresh seafood and aquariums. The show ‘exceeded expectations’ according to CEO, Jurgen Scharkosi: “SEAFEX provided us with excellent regional exposure – we reached customers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain Kuwait and Oman as well as our target customers in the UAE. We received over 3 tonnes of orders during the show and we expect more to be finalised over the coming months. We are really pleased and will definitely be returning next year with an even bigger stand!”

The region’s largest and most influential trade show for the snack and confectionery industry, Sweets and Snacks Middle East, provided a truly international platform for product selection, with more than 182 specialised exhibitors from 34 countries showcasing both sweet and savoury snacks and confectionery.

The world-renowned German producer of innovative confectionery specialities, Eichetti, returned to Sweets & Snacks Middle East with high hopes. Commenting on their participation, Ramona Keller, Export Department, said: “This is the second time that we have participated at Sweets & Snacks Middle East. After attending last year we saw a substantial increase in our regional market share and our ongoing Middle East expansion will be helped via several excellent business contacts and potential contracts we have mined this year.”

Leading local chocolatier, BMB Group confirmed the importance of Sweets and Snacks to its annual growth. Bilal Ballout, Co Founder said: “Sweets and Snacks consistently delivers contacts and contracts with key clients in the region’s confectionery industry, contributing significantly to our yearly growth which stands at 40% year to date.”

First time exhibitor to the show, Fruidoraix, a specialist confectioner and family-owned business from the South of France, was another satisfied customer. Daniel Eisenberg, the company’s Export Manager, said: “Our specialist almond-based confections and nougat products are especially popular and while we do supply private Middle East customers for weddings and celebrations, our aim here was to identify potential retailers. I’m pleased to say we’ve done just that.”

Special features taking place during the shows included a full schedule of inspiring cooking demonstrations from some of Dubai’s top chefs at the dedicated Chef’s Corner. Presented by the Baking and Pastry Guild, the demonstrations complemented the gourmet show’s position as a forum for specialist buyers, chefs and suppliers to review, showcase and sample products, and as a meeting place for networking and closing business transactions.

Delegates at the region’s first SEAFEX Seafood Summit and Food Logistics Forum benefited from the expertise of international business leaders addressing industry concerns, and participated in interactive workshops that discussed market growth opportunities.

“This year’s successes demonstrate the shows’ collective position as the only dedicated trade platforms for the gourmet, seafood and sweet & snacks industry. The shows delivered exceptional business opportunities, showcased industry excellence and talent, and facilitated knowledge exchange at a truly global level,” added LohMirmand.

Title: Without Borders

Subtitle: Agustin Caceres is about as well-traveled as it gets, which is why he’s the perfect guy to help businesses realize their international aspirations.

Text By: Jacquelyn Benson

“I love selling worldwide,” says Agustin Caceres of Le Group Industries, a company that assists manufacturers with expanding their businesses beyond their national borders. Le Group Industries, which was established here in Miami by Caceres, provides marketing, certification, accounting, and import/export and international finance services to companies producing everything from sugar to bikinis. “We do anything related to international business, besides producing,” Caceres says.

Juan Manuel Caceres and Agustin Caceres at the Porsche Designer Tower

It’s a job he’s exceptionally well-qualified for. The Argentinean-born business man was raised in Brazil, and got his business education in both countries as well as in Germany. Since then, he’s managed to see the better part of the world, traveling throughout the US and South America as well as to China and even more exotic locales. “I speak English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese,” Caceres admits. “And a little French and German, too.”

Caceres has always been fascinated by the world of international business, working in it in various capacities for years until starting Le Group Industries through a program offered by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Agency. Caceres quickly formed partnerships with manufacturers in Brazil who were eager to break into new markets in the US and further afield, but didn’t have the expertise they needed to negotiate the tricky waters of import/export laws and finance. But he won’t work with just anyone.

“All our supplies are selected based on their honesty, human rights policies, and cost-effective structure,” Caceres says. And when he says “human rights”, he doesn’t just mean the way the factories treat their laborers – though that’s definitely part of the picture. It’s also about the products themselves. Caceres believes that the end consumer has a “right” to high-quality goods, and puts his business practice where his mouth is.

Currently, Le Group Industries markets Brazilian long grain rice and sugar, as well as a canned version of the country’s signature cocktail, the Caipirinha. Other products under development include bikinis and leather goods.

You’d think with all that traveling, the last thing Caceres would want to do in his free time is hit the road – but you’d be wrong. The entrepreneur is an incorrigible tourist, and loves documenting his journeys by camera. Those of us stuck at home can enjoy the fun vicariously through his postings on the travel website Territorios.com.br.

At the end of the day, he’s happy he is doing business through the offices in Miami. “This city is a tremendous window to the world,” he says. And he’d know.

Agustin T. O’Brien Caceres during samples and booth cargo transportation to the BCA Trade Show from South America to Norfolk, VA, High Point, NC, and finally Las Vegas, NV. Picture taken during a pit stop in Amarillo, Texas, in 2004

By Tom Edmonds

Agustin Caceres interviewed for Furniture Today, March 9, 2003

Gramado, Brazil — Only a handful of U.S. buyers were at the fourth annual Salao do Movel, Brazil’s high-end furniture show here.

But the prospects for U.S.-Brazil furniture trade were a topic of constant discussion for exhibitors, especially among the larger companies who feel they have the wherewithal to do it.

With local exporters such as Sierra Furniture in case goods and Niroflex in leather have already blazed a trail, other companies are eager to explore whether their products might translate into U.S. success.

Having recently hired export managers and taken on agents to help establish relationships with North American retailers and distributors, several Brazilian companies have started tinkering with their product styling in order to develop designs that are commercially viable up north. Leather manufacturers targeting the American market, for example, say they are coming out with upholstery that is “bigger and softer” than what they usually sell in Brazil.

“I really don’t think we have to change too much for America, but we will adapt as we need to,” said Jose Agnelo Seger, president of Herval, a fabric and leather upholstery resource. Other Brazilian leather resources with their eyes on exporting include Mannes and Modulaque. While Niroflex, which already has a High Point showroom, works in the $599 to $999 retail price range, the other two companies are a bit higher, up to $1,999.

Labor costs in Brazil, while lower than in the United States, certainly are not as low as in China. But with the 50% devaluation in the past year of the Brazilian currency, the real, Brazil has become a greater bargain for the U.S. buyers.

“Now, it looks like Brazil and China are going to be the two major furniture countries,” said Agustin Caceres, export manager for Doimo Brazil, a subsidiary of Doimo Italy, which is about to set up a warehouse and a showroom in High Point.

“The U.S. and Canada are the two major markets in the world, and everybody wants to export there,” he said. “For us, the timing is right because we have the financing we need to get started, and the exchange rate is very favorable.”

From a style perspective as well as from their trading orientation, Brazilian furniture producers are more accustomed to dealing with Europe rather than North America. However, they sense that the opportunity to the north is too big to ignore.

“The United States is 40% of the world economy, and we need to make it a larger portion of our sales,” said Frank Zietolie, president of Telasul, which makes contemporary casual dining and occasional furniture and has a sister company, DellAnno, which makes kitchen cabinets. As a first step, Zietolie has set up a Miami warehouse for the two companies. South Florida is a comfortable initial step for many of Brazilian companies for logistical as well as cultural reasons.

“It’s got to be a gradual process if we are going to do this right,” Zietolie said. “We have to do it step by step.”

Looking to do more than just sell furniture to Americans, Sierra Furniture — the Ethan Allen of Brazil — has a network of North American sales representatives as well as a showroom in High Point’s Market on Green.

“We know we are going about this the hardest way, building a brand, but we are attempting to assure our future by developing relationships that will last,” said Andre Tissot, president.

Sierra has vertically integrated distribution in Brazil, with licensed stores. Tissot said the company, which has been pursuing U.S. sales for three years, may not be able to duplicate that model in the States, but it does hope to build similarly strong partnerships: “Once we find the right partner in the United States, all our efforts will have paid off.”

PORT EVERGLADES October 21, 2013 — LE Group Industries, LLC www.legroupindustries.com has been selected for the 2013 Best of Port Everglades Award in the Food Products Supplier category by the Port Everglades Award Program.

Each year, the Port Everglades Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Port Everglades area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2013 Port Everglades Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Port Everglades Award Program and data provided by third parties.

About Port Everglades Award Program

The Port Everglades Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Port Everglades area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.

The Port Everglades Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

1999 NATIONS EXPORT TRADING COMPANY, LLC

REFERRAL LETTER FOR JOB

This letter was written by Agustin’s boss for the six week internship he executed at McAllen, Texas and Matamoros, Tamaulipas at the age of 23 while he was studying Business Administration specialized in Foreign Trade at Centro Universitario Uniao de Negocios e Administração in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, South America.

Referral Letter 1999, McAllen, Texas

VP of Sales and VP of Operations on a stop over in London on the way back from Specialty Food Trade show, Dubai 2013

Business meeting in West Miami 2011

you can see our VP of operations, Agustin Thomas o’Brien Caceres, full resume as per 2012 in the following link at LEGroupIndustries.com:CV_Agustin_Caceres_English_2013

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